“You do what you can for as long as you can, and when you finally can’t, you do the next best thing. You back up but you don’t give up.”
— Chuck Yeager

Yeager was a record-setting test pilot who became the first pilot confirmed to break the sound barrier in level flight. His incredible flying career spanned more than 70 years.

Year ahead? What does that look like?

“What, will the line stretch out to th’ crack of doom?
Another yet? A seventh? I’ll see no more.

• MacBeth 4.1.116

Mercury goes retrograde January 30 – February 21 (Aquarius), May 29 – June 22 (Gemini), and September 27 – October 22 (Libra). An observant person might note, those are all air signs. Venus starts a retrograde pattern December 20, 2021 to January 29, 2022 (Capricorn).

The eclipse patterns shift. There’s a partial solar May 26 (Gemini/Sagittarius), with its companion lunar June 10 (Gemini), and the start of the emergent patterns, with a solar November 19 (Scorpio/Taurus), and its companion lunar December 4 (Sagittarius).

Horoscopes for 12-31-2020

Capricorn

Old trailer park joke, “My retirement plan is buying lotto tickets.” Yeah, not how this works. For approximately 8% of the Capricorn population, that might work in this next year. Want to play those long odds? Not a safe bet, just sayin’. With that in mind? This isn’t a time to place a long-shot bet with impossible odds. It is a time to make calculated steps towards a specific goal. Tackle the goal, and wrestle it a bit, try to figure out what the real goal is, is it to get rich? Or just be comfortable? Pick. Pick and choose. Choose carefully, and then, since this is a birthday time, pause long enough to recalculate that decision. Old fishing buddy used to tease me, we’d be in the boat, and I’d be telling a story and then, the water’s surface would start to show signs of activity and my attention would be drawn elsewhere. Fishing. So then, he would always complain that my mental processes needed better buffering. I just don’t think I should talk too much when I’m fishing. Concentrate on what’s at hand. Pick and choose, and if there’s a problem answering quick enough? “Please wait, sarcasm is still loading.” Insert a little bar graph?

Aquarius

Teamwork. A single, useful buzzword for the next week, especially, but also for the coming year. This is a situation that requires teamwork. Requires a helping hand, an outside source of assistance, just a buddy with a pickup truck, a friend who’s got a spare seat in the back of the bass boat, any number of situations fit this role. But it requires Aquarius teamwork.
[continue reading…]

“On him I lay that you would lay on me,
The right and fortune of his happy stars,
Which God defend that I should wring from him!”

• Richard Duke of Gloucester in Shakespeare’s Richard 3, 3.7.172-

Horoscopes for 12-24-2020

Available now: little book of transits.

Wishing you a happy/merry whatever doesn’t offend you season.

Capricorn

Breathing space. All about breathing space for Capricorn. Breathing space allows plenty of room for thoughts to turn free, expand in areas hitherto unexplored by Capricorn, hence the idea, “breathing space.”

• This week’s horoscopes include bug fixes and improved usability over last week’s horoscopes.

This week, holidays, birthdays, all of that? Brings breathing space, real — or imagined. Either way, you’ve got a little more room to move around.

Aquarius

Listen to a podcast about Shakespeare, but not about bass fishing. I’d go bass fishing. Three minutes with another fisherman, and I got a good idea of what works. Bass fishing is something I do. It’s an action. Shakespeare scholarship and interpretations, plus the rest of it? That’s, to me, academic. Great stuff for a podcast. Worth listening to, for understanding, and it aids in my understanding. So Shakespeare studies is a podcast thing for me, whereas fishing? That’s a doing thing. Action, adventure, the open road, and so on. Used to be a stream behind a trailer, but never mind that now.

What got me off on this tangent was the idea of a fishing show, and while I don’t mind the fishing shows, there really aren’t too many that catch my attention. I would rather be fishing, and then, studying the Shakespeare plays, uncovering nuances of language. While both pursuits have an intellectual game about them, the fishing is action while the Shakespeare is merely ingesting. Both are data-driven, but with different angles to it. So as we start this long haul with Jupiter and Saturn? What’s action and what’s academic? What requires Aquarius action, and what requires Aquarius study? One, is a series of podcasts I passively listen to, while the other is me, with a fishing pole in hand, cast baits into the water.

Pisces

Three wise men, all in one spot? That’s got to be a myth.

Buddy of mine inherited a family heirloom set, kind of funny, to me. He called them “Manny, Moe, and Jack.” My buddy is of Asian lineage, but — like many of us — he was born in Texas, so honestly, he’s more Texan than anything else. Bit of a loose cannon, or a nut job, depends on the day, hey, he’a friend, think that should be qualifier enough. “Manny, Moe, and Jack” are set of hideous, carved jade figures about two feet tall, each. Or carved wood, I’m not sure. Stone, maybe ironwood? No idea. I think the figures, a cross between some Eastern deity and something Buddha-like? Definitely of Asian origin, or Asian intent, and as a set? Perfect set of three wise man. Not sure what they represent. I think, I’m not sure, but I thought these guys were a form of household gods, who protected home and hearth, according to a different belief system. For my buddy? They are cool stuff to have in his living room, and maybe they do protect. Maybe they don’t. Who knows for sure. Good conversation pieces, and I almost covet them. Almost.

Tracing the linage of the figures, and how they wound up in my buddy’s possession, and what they mean? All about a cosmic form of protection, and why would that matter to Pisces during this Holy Week? All a matter of cosmic protection, and moving forward with — whatever it is that works.

Aries

A recent article popped up, about a current battle for a portion of Texas history. History is rewritten by the winners. Then, too, there’s revisionist history, wherein the tale is told to fit whatever modern version of the story needs to be fitted to. Ask an investigator about eyewitness reports. Five people see the same event and there will be five different versions, with no two indicating any overlap. Facts and descriptions, what happens, when, all of that is subject to change. Interpretation is big part of what I do, and history, in this case the new version of some Texas history, is trying to be rewritten in light of new evidence. I’m not about to wade into that battlefield, ask me about people grossly misunderstanding a statement I make. I’ve had that happen all too often. So this isn’t really about history, or history that is rewritten, it’s about understanding that Aries might run into one of those situation where there were divergent tales, and you wonder, “Did they all attend the same event? So different, different planets, alternative reality?” Yes, they were all there, just consider that each view point can see colors and emotional shadings to a situation differently. It’s the stories we tell ourselves, watch for the myth-making, hewn from raw facts.

Taurus

I am most certainly not a country boy — I am a city man. I’d like to think otherwise, and I can survive in the harsh environs outside of the civilized worlds, as we know it, but I’m essentially a city person. There’s a long and twisted road that leads to this realization, and it involves fishing, camping, and much time spent out-of-doors, but not really in the country. Think of it as a tame version of nature. Also: think of this as a confession. So it’s good to confess, and it’s good to admit to what we really are. With the planets where they are, there’s going to be a confession overdue. Before you write and tell me I’m missing the point, let me suggest, I might not be the correct person for the confession. “I have that one thing, but I’ll never tell anyone that I did that!” Yeah, before you confess anything to me, a random stranger, I’d suggest your fine Taurus self mull that idea over. Who is the right person? Who should you tell? Who shouldn’t you tell? Sins of the flesh, long-buried secrets, or even just what was wrapped up as an Xmas gift, yeah, not telling, not now. Have to wait. Therein is the problem, a little Taurus patience goes a long way. We’ll find a chance to unburden that soul, but this might not be the best time.

Gemini

Because I’ve been around the “new age,” and holistic communities for so long? I’ve seen about every kind of permutation of ideas and ideals, as those intersect with practices that are a little disconnected from reality. One buddy, regularly, “meditates,” that’s what he calls it, with a series of various rocks and crystals at important metaphysical points on his body. Or he’ll take a nap, excuse me, “meditate,” with certain chunks of various mineral specimens in hand. While I find the actual healing properties of the material a little dubious, color me skeptical, I still think that the real — measurable — healing quality for the various rocks and crystals? I figure that comes from the act of the meditation. That much, meditation, has been proven — by quantifiable, scientific studies — to be effective. Is it the magical properties of the stones? Is it just the mental process of the meditation? And as a Gemini, do you care? Yes and no. Yes you care, but like me, you care about results. I don’t care how it works, just as long as it works. Results count. Some weird permutation, one client is steeped in the Jewish system yet still has to celebrate Xmas. Results count. Doesn’t matter what we believe, it’s the results. As a Gemini compliant person? I don’t care how you get there, just as long as you arrive. Merry xmas or whatever.

Cancer

Reading back-to-back novels that are closely related by genre? Two novels that are action-adventure, lone wolf hero, loosely based on the basic police-procedural formula? One of the authors is from a newspaper, journalist background, while the other is from an MFA, pedigreed creative writing route. Kind of begs a comparison, the two authors, next to each other on the shelf at the library and the bookstores, but from very different educational backgrounds. One trained one way, reporting facts, while the other trained in the poetical arts, makes for a strong, and compelling argument. Look: both authors are “best-selling,” with numerous literary hits. Similar content, and it wasn’t until I looked at the Moon Children’s charts for this next week that I thought about these two authors. So similar and yet, so distinctly different. I didn’t even think about until I did quick search and pulled up the basic author bio pages for each. Each author has his own style. One deals with the nuance of character with add-on information, like accessories, and similar details, while the the other deals with nuance-like via emotional shading. Wasn’t until I got looking at the Cancer charts that I thought that through, different author backgrounds, different approaches to similar stories. As the planets start to chart new destinies for the Moon Children’s futures? This is about two, very different approaches to achieving the same end. Different approaches. Neither one is better, it’s about what’s right for yourself.

The Leo

The original term for Xmas was “Saturnalia,” a Roman Holiday. During that time, notice the name is derived from the planet Saturn, but during the festival, typically around the Winter Solstice, the working class would be served by the various lords and masters of the manor. Roles were reversed, if only for a day. The idea of a reversal of roles, for The Leo? That works as good as any metaphor for the coming week. Next few weeks? Yeah, yeah, happy holidays and all, but the next few weeks, we’ve got a tone that’s been set. It’s about, imagine that the Roman Saturnalia is ongoing, and that the roles are reversed. The mighty, the majestic, the nominal leader of the pack, the boss of the pride, so to write? You’re going to step aside and let others pretend that they are in charge. Let others be served, and you’re going to let others feel like, if only for a shortened period of time, your Leo self is here to serve to them, with all your glory. Hint: I got a long-term overview thing going on, and for The Leo? Doing this little bow to the help, right now? Pays off well.

“Here. Let me help you with that.”

Oh yeah, this will work out fine.

Virgo

“I’m more a single shot of espresso than a cup of tea.” Yeah, about encapsulates my whole, rather complicated set of feelings about my relationship to my work, and what I do. I amended the original expression as I wanted something that fit me, and fit the way I like to see the world.

Think the way I first read it? “I’d rather a single person’s shot of whiskey rather than everyone’s cup of tea.”

As this new pattern starts to emerge, and what with the way certain planets have just recently moved? It’s less about appealing to a broad grouping of people, and more about an individual bond that is more unshakable. That first time I had an espresso? Little sparks, exploding behind my eyes, my mind racing along, alive, soaring with added brainpower, the universes unfolding, right there, and then, in my mind’s eye. Good stuff. Powerful material. Since then, I’ve use coffee as a crutch, but it works, and, as it turns out, the caffeine has added health benefits. But that’s not really our direction — this is about Virgo being the star attraction for a single person, maybe just just a single scenario rather than being a healing balm for a large crowd. Please your Virgo self, and then? Please one other. Not shooting for making everyone happy, after all, isn’t it better to one person’s strong, mood-altering substance instead of being a benign calming influence for the masses?

Libra

Me? I got really lucky, as I grew business, and a love of what I do, organically, out of two activities, no, three activities that I adore. I like “bit-twiddling,” as in, messing around with computer stuff. Software, hardware, more software these days, and web-interface material, but that’s where one interface lies. Another is astrology, the applied art of interpreting science fact — the position of the planets and other heavenly bodies. Finally, there’s a genuine love of the written word. So I got lucky, as I applied myself until I managed to bring all of these disparate elements together. I like my job, especially with its various challenges. So my “day job,” and what I like doing? They largely coincide.

For Libra, there is a point where one line goes this way, another line goes that way, and there’s a point where the two lines intersect, cross each other, and that’s where the Libra magic exists. In part, this is about something that you love, and in part, this is about “job,” or work in some capacity, and in part, this is where it all coincides. Pick. Choose. Look at your choices, and see what shows up. Think it’s two or three lines, and see where they at least come close to each other on that graph of Libra life.

Scorpio

This is going to be a bumpy ride, just up ahead. Next few weeks, next year, all of it. I tend to fall back on the old ways, “Fasten your seat belt, and make sure your trays are in the upright and locked position.” I know, little trite to some, but I heard that so many times, and me, when I commuted on commercial air around Texas? That was a common warning. Flights are all about an hour, and it’s bumpy, coming in or leaving the various destinations, plus, in the winter months, there’s that strong wind, not dangerous, just unsettling for some, Or, for some of us? It’s just a bumpy ride. I traveled a great deal before tablets were so commonplace, and as such, I always had a book and pencil to entertain myself. The plane would be bouncing in the air, headed towards a safe touchdown, and I would be reading along, making notes. More than once, I’ve sat next to passengers who panic, or, at the very least, look panic-stricken by the turbulence. Get used to it. Going to be a bumpy ride for the next few — some amount of time — for Scorpio.

Fasten your seat belts.

Sagittarius

Secretly? I’ve been looking forward to this one. It’s part of an over-arching thematic element I tend to observe, and what this will do? Especially for Sagittarius? We get to over-think a situation.

“Think about it.”

Now, to some, overthinking is an ailment, a self-sabotaging situation wherein the mental processes consider an angle from multiple angles. Not that I’ve ever done that before, not me, but what this planetary array and shift does — especially for our Sagittarius selves?

“Think about it?”

That’s it – exactly. Stop, consider ramifications, then think about the possible outcomes from those possible choices, none of which have been made yet. Consider the possibilities!

“Think about it.”

There’s a deeper, more significant element at work within the Sagittarius psyche, deep in our souls. The clearest answer is through sheer mental horsepower as a way to see this through.

astrofish.net/travel for appearances